Bishop of Leicester asks about parental leave and paternity pay

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 15th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what proportion of new fathers have taken (1) their full statutory paternity leave entitlement, and (2) shared parental leave, in each year since 2017.

Lord Johnston of Lainston (Con, DBT): Data on the proportion of fathers taking Paternity and Shared Parental Leave is not available for each year since 2017. The 2019 Parental Rights Survey(opens in a new tab) shows that, of all employee fathers who took any type of leave following the birth of their child, 74 per cent took Paternity Leave and 7 per cent took Shared Parental Leave. The same survey finds that 76 per cent of all fathers that took Paternity Leave took up their full Paternity Leave entitlement.

Hansard